Just Another Rabid Reader Interviews Amanda Mahan, Author of Heiress, P.I.

Recently, I posted a review of Heiress, P.I., by Amanda Mahan.  You can find that review here

 

I had a chance to catch up with Amanda and get to know here a little better.  She has agreed to share some about herself with my readers here, so without further adieu, the interview!  Oh, and don’t forget to enter the giveaway.

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1. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I grew up in Florida but now live in California, and I feel like a blend of the two with a little bit of New York (where I was born) thrown in. I used to blame my unruly hair on Florida humidity but then it doesn’t behave in California either (or New York for that matter) — so I’m starting to think it’s just me. I make a mean red velvet cupcake. I have several “in my next life” fantasy careers; one is a pastry chef and the other is a private investigator. I love baking and snooping, so that makes sense.

 

2. What do you do when you’re not writing?

Baking and snooping! And I also take care of my 6 year-old daughter and nearly 2 year-old son. And work full time. It’s busy, but fun. Usually.

 

3. Who influenced you to write?

My 10th grade English teacher Elfie Israel always told me I should be a writer. And then after I graduated, she would sometimes run into my mom around town and say, “Is Amanda writing? She should be!” So that felt really good to hear and know that someone who wasn’t related to me believed in me. Sadly she died last year so I never got to tell her about the book or how much that meant.

 

4. What was your journey to publication?

I wrote this book slowly over years, at night after the kids went to bed. And finally I was done and then it sat… and sat… and sat. I just felt too scared to do anything with it. Then I thought, what if I die and my kids say, “Did you know Mom wrote a book? And it’s just sitting on her computer doing nothing?” They would know I wasn’t being brave, even though I always encourage them to be. So I e-published it myself on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing. It felt great — and scary — to do it. But mostly great.

 

5. Do you have a day job?

Yes, I work in digital marketing and social media for a consumer packaged goods company.

 

6. When did you first start writing and when did you finish your book?

I first started the book around 2008 and just completed it last year (final edits, formatting, cover, etc.). So it took about 5 years.

 

7. How do you choose the genre you write in?

I love young adult fiction! I know I’m too old to be a young adult, but I took a quiz called “How Millennial Are You?” and I scored at 88% so I feel justified somehow…  I like thought-provoking books but I also enjoy breezy, fun reads so that’s what I wanted to write.

 

8. Where do you get your ideas?

Everywhere and from everyone. That’s what I mean by “snooping” — I really enjoy hearing about people’s lives and everything just gets catalogued away for later use.

 

9. Do you ever experience writers block?

Not that much – my problem is more that I can’t find the time or if I have the time, I just want to use it to sleep.

 

10. Do you work with an outline or just write?

I work with an outline. I need to think the whole story through first. That said, sometimes the characters surprise me and do things I didn’t expect. And then the story takes a turn.

 

11. Is there any particular author that influenced you?

There are so many, I can’t even count. I love everything from Michael Chabon (characters, word selection) and Maria Stemple (humorous, deep insights into artistry, motherhood and humanity) — two wildly different writers. I have always been a book worm and have very eclectic tastes — from highbrow to ultra schlock. Even if a book is bad, there may be one funny line or clever turn that sticks.

 

12. Is there any aspect of writing your novel you would change?

I wish I could have gotten it done faster!

 

13. How do you market your work?

I am just starting to do that so I’m not really sure what works and what doesn’t yet. So far, I’m looking for places where YA book-lovers go — and I’m enjoying meeting them.

 

14. Have you written a book that you love that you have not been able to get published?

I have another mystery, an adult novel, that I want to publish. It just needs more work. I wrote it before HEIRESS, P.I., during a darker time in my life. And I needed a little distance from it because it was too raw. But I think I’m ready now.

 

15. Can you tell us about your upcoming book?

HEIRESS, P.I. is about a billionairess teenager who goes undercover to investigate a mystery. A few years ago I heard a story about how Paris Hilton gave the police a tip that led them to solve a crime. That got me thinking, what if her whole party girl persona was a ruse, and really she was a private investigator — it might explain some pretty questionable behavior! I usually describe the book as “Veronica Mars meets Paris Hilton.”

 

16. Is there anything in your book based on real life experiences?

Everything that happens to Lucy in the book are things that have happened to starlets and celebutantes in real life — wardrobe malfunctions, random hookups, arrests, a sex tape. I just have alternative explanations as to why they happened.

 

17. What was your favorite chapter or part to write and why?

I love all the scenes between Lucy and Holden because they have a true friendship, but now that they are teenagers it’s teetering on becoming more. I know 50 Shades of Gray and all those soft-core books are hot right now, but to me, the best part of a relationship is before it starts.

 

18. How did you come up with the title?

I wanted to juxtapose the fact that she’s the richest teenager in the world with her new secret life, and HEIRESS, P.I. seemed to do that. I also like the tagline “made over and under cover” because it really drives home that this girl (who is sort of frumpy and shy and hiding in the background) needs to become “famous” and shine in order to get the job done. I wanted to hint at some of that fun part.

 

19. What project are you working on now?

I am working on editing my other mystery UNCLAD, which is set in a spa. I’m writing some articles as well.

 

20. Will you have a new book coming out soon?

I hope so. I’d like to get UNCLAD out by the end of this year.

 

21. Are there certain characters you’d like to go back to? Or are there themes you’d like to work with?

I love the idea of secret lives and mysteries that need solving – there’s definitely more to do there. But I also love Lucy and would like to write a sequel one day. Honestly I think HEIRESS, P.I. would make a fun TV show – a more light-hearted Veronica Mars. If she was swallowed by Gossip Girl.

 

22. What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?

I went to a book conference once and had a private meeting with a published author. I had to submit some work prior to the meeting and gave her some chapters that had been read by my writing critique group and several other people. I had gotten some compliments on it so I was feeling pretty confident going in that she would like it. Well, she hated it. HATED IT! It was devastating. That threw me off of writing for almost a year. So I guess that work got both the best compliments and the toughest criticism. You probably can’t take either to heart.

 

23. Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers?

Just do it. Be brave. Don’t let fear hold you back. I was terrified to even tell my cousins when I published HEIRESS, P.I. I couldn’t sleep the night I sent my family the email. But it was silly because of course everyone was supportive. Even if they aren’t, you still should do it.

 

24. Is there anything you’d like to say to your readers and fans?

Thank you for reading the book. I hope people get a little break and have some fun and laughs, because we all need that sometimes.

 

 

© 2014, Lisa Pottgen. All rights reserved.

Just Another Rabid Reader Interviews Amanda Mahan, Author of Heiress, P.I. is a post from: Just Another Rabid Reader